A collage of personal, political,cultural, and historical commentary from the thought processes of Brandon Wallace.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I recieved Barack Obama's Dreams of My Father for my birthday and tonight I have delved into it, reaching the part where his father returns to Hawaii to visit him. This incredible, compelling story inspired me to seek out the faces of the characters being discussed...his stepfather, Lolo, his father, Barack, and also his mother. My quest to see pictures of Obama's family, took me to a family photo of he, his mother, sister, and stepfather. Looking at it, I was struck by his mother's image. What incredible strength,independence, integrity, and humanity. It inspired me to write a poem.

Rockstar Motherradical and freetranscending boundaries reaching through the layers to find lovemother goddess lionshielding her cubstouching their dusty faces to wipe away tearsto comfortto show loveand teach them how to livewith love and compassionto grow strong and proudto live with valueshuman valueschild-like eyes gazing upwardinto her sweetly smiling faceknowing love and guidancein this incredible, awesomemother-spirit.

Expressing views that are surely representative ofAmerican Jews as a whole, here's what some AmericanJews are saying about the violence in Gaza.

J Street has a petition demanding that the U.S.intervene to bring about an immediate resumption of theceasefire between Israel and Hamas; the petition alsocalls for lifting the blockade of Gaza.

The petition says:

I support immediate and strong U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to urgently reinstate a meaningful ceasefire that ends all military operations, stops the rockets aimed at Israel and lifts the blockade of Gaza. This is in the best interests of Israel, the Palestinian people and the United States.

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom has an action alert asking folksto write to President-elect Obama, insisting that hespeak out now and call for an immediate cease-fire andhumanitarian aid to Gaza, noting that he has spoken outon other issues. As Representative Barney Frank pointedout, "Obama says we have one President at a time, butI'm afraid that seriously overstates the number ofPresidents we have right now."

Americans for Peace Now is asking its supporters towrite to President Bush and President-elect Obama insupport of a ceasefire and humanitarian relief forGaza.

Jewish Voice for Peace condemned the Israeli attacks onGaza, calling for an immediate end to attacks on allcivilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli, and notingthat the blockade of Gaza is a violation ofhumanitarian law and has been widely condemned aroundthe world. Meanwhile they have been organizing supportfor Israeli high school students who have beenimprisoned for refusing to serve in an army thatoccupies the Palestinian Territories.

The overwhelming majority of American Jews voted forObama -- just as the overwhelming majority of AmericanJews opposed the Iraq war. Let's pull for President-elect Obama to heed Brit Tzedek v'Shalom's call tospeak out now.

[Robert Naiman is National Coordinator of Just ForeignPolicy, a membership organization devoted to reformingU.S. foreign policy to reflect the values and serve theinterests of the majority of Americans. Naiman editsthe daily Just Foreign Policy news summary. JFP's website is www.justforeignpolicy.org ]

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Jewish Voices for Peace on Gaza Air Strike

Jewish Voices for PeaceDecember 28, 2008

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

Jewish Voice for Peace joins millions around the world,including the 1,000 Israelis who protested in thestreets of Tel Aviv this weekend, in condemning ongoingIsraeli attacks on Gaza. We call for an immediate endto attacks on all civilians, whether Palestinian orIsraeli.

Israel's slow strangulation of Gaza through blockadehas caused widespread suffering to the 1.5 millionpeople of Gaza due to lack of food, electricity, watertreatment supplies and medical equipment. It is aviolation of humanitarian law and has been widelycondemned around the world.

In resisting this strangulation, Hamas resumedlaunching rockets and mortars from Gaza into southernIsrael, directly targeting civilians, which is also awar crime. Over the years, these poorly made rocketshave been responsible for the deaths of 15 Israelissince 2004.

Every country, Israel included, has the right andobligation to protect its citizens. The recentceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza shows thatdiplomatic agreements are the best protection forcivilian life.

Moreover, massive Israeli air strikes have proven anindiscriminate and brutal weapon. In just two days, theknown death toll is close to 300, and the attacks arecontinuing. By targeting the infrastructure of a poorand densely populated area, Israel has ensuredwidespread civilian casualties among this alreadysuffering and vulnerable population.

This massive destruction of Palestinian life will notprotect the citizens of Israel. It is illegal andimmoral and should be condemned in the strongestpossible terms. And it threatens to ignite the WestBank and add flames to the other fires burning in theMiddle East and beyond for years to come.

The timing of this attack, during the waning days of aUS administration that has undertaken a catastrophicpolicy toward the Middle East and during the run-up toan Israeli election, suggests an opportunistic agendafor short-term political gain at an immense cost inPalestinian lives. In the long run this policy willbenefit no-one except those who always profit from warand exploitation. Only a just and lasting peace,achieved through a negotiated agreement, can provideboth Palestinians and Israelis the security they wantand deserve.

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Tell Obama: Your Strong Voice Is Needed In The Middle East NOW!

Brit Tzedek V'Shalom (Jewish Alliance for Justice & Peace)

The escalating warfare in Gaza and southern Israel demands the immediate attention of President-elect Obama. As President-elect, he must speak out about the escalating crisis between Israel and Hamas, call for an immediate ceasefire, and send a strong signal about his long-term objectives for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

In the last month, he and his advisors did not hesitate to release the outline of a large stimulus package and post-Inauguration economic plan in an attempt to contain the financial crisis. Similar action is warranted for the Middle East.

Take Action

Tell President-elect Obama that his strong voice is needed now. Ask him to call for an immediate ceasefire that ends the attacks by all sides and facilitates the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. He must remind the entire international community of his commitment to Middle East peace and his intention once taking office.

President-elect Obama should also send informal envoys (advisors without formal appointments, members of Congress, etc.) to the region to meet with Israelis, Palestinians, government leaders, and others. Such action will send a strong message about the substantial shift in U.S. involvement he will oversee.

Israel's long-term security lies in a negotiated peace agreement with the Palestinians. As an ally to Israel, there is no more important step Obama can take than to make his positions and concern known immediately.

Please contact President-elect Obama and express your support for his active involvement. Take Action!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Some enchanted eveningYou may see a strangerYou may see a stranger,across a crowded roomAnd somehow you knowYou know even thenThat somewhere you'll see himAgain and againSome enchanted eveningSomeone may be laughingYou may hear him laughingacross a crowded roomAnd night after night[ Find more Lyrics at www.mp3lyrics.org/stM ]As strange as it seemsThe sound of his laughter willsing in your dreamsWho can explain it?Who can tell you why?Fools give you reasonsWise men never trySome enchanted eveningWhen you find your true loveAcross a crowded roomAnd fly to his sideAnd make him your ownOr all through you may dream all aloneOnce you have found him,never let him goOnce you have found him,never let him go

I was talking with my Aunt Betty the other day and, granted she is old and nearly senile, but that doesnt really explain the hell she is (in). Alas, at one point, she said--I had such a difficult birth (with my son). It almost killed me. But he turned out to be so sweet. Yes, he gave me problems, especially when he was born. But he wrote me the sweetest letter--I still have it in their somewhere. But when he was a little boy he wrote me a letter and said, 'Mama, I wish I had never been born.' So sweet.

keep on movinkeep on movin, don't stop like the hands of timeclick clock, find your own way to staythe time will come one daywhy do people choose to live their lives, this way?

keep on movingkeep on moving don't stop nokeep on moving (x2)

it's our time, time todaythe right time is here to staystay in my life, my life alwaysyellow is the colour of sunraysi hide myself from no onei know the time will surely come whenyou'll be in my life, my life alwaysyellow is the colour of sunrays

keep on moving don't stopkeep on movinglike the hands of time click clockkeep on moving don't stop nofind your own way to staykeep on movingthe time will come one day (all)theme harmony x2

i know the time, time todaywalking alone in my own wayextremely cold and rainy daysfriends and i have fun along the way, yes we doi hide myself from no onei know the time will surely come whenyou'll be in my life, my life alwaysyellow is the colour of sunraysi hide myself from no onei know the time will really come whenyou'll be in my life, my life alwaysyellow is the colour of sunrays

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Last weekend, I was in Washington DC to accept the Kennedy Center Honors, and I noticed that the kiss between me and the “soon to be former” President Bush created quite a stir. The Today Show even proclaimed that it was a sign of the apocalypse. The timing is ironic. After eight years of President Clinton and on the cusp of at least four years of President Obama, I get selected to receive this prestigious award…during the Bush Administration. I have never met George W. Bush, but for the past eight years I have been blogging about him and his administration on my web site. I have relayed my frustration at the direction he has taken our country in no uncertain terms. So it was just as surprising to me as it apparently was to the press that upon meeting President Bush and extending my hand to him, he said to me, “Aw c’mon, gimme a hug and a kiss,” and then he proceeded to embrace me. I must say, I found him very warm and completely disarming…even though I think he was kissing me hello as I was kissing him goodbye…

During the White House ceremony, the President described each honorees attributes. After he listed mine, he added, “She’s also been known to speak her mind,” to which the audience first laughed and then applauded. I genuinely thought he was very funny and very gracious.

During the Kennedy Center Honors, President Bush gave me his signature wink (which he must have passed on to Sarah Palin) and mouthed, “We showed ‘em.” I guess in some small way, he and I proved that we could agree to disagree, and, for that weekend, art transcended politics.

Someday, somewhereWe'll find a new way of livingWill find a way of forgivingSomewhere...There's a place for usSomewhere a place for usPeace and quiet and open airWait for usSomewhereThere's a time for usSomeday there'll time for usTime together and time to spareTime to learn, time to careSomeday, somewhereWe'll find a new way of livingWill find there's a way of forgivingSomewhere...There's a place for usA time and place for usHold my hand and we're half way thereHold my hand and I'll take you thereSomehow...Someday, somewhere...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Yes it's me againAnd I'm backOh I oh I oh I yeahOh I oh I oh I babyOh I oh I oh I yeahThe 22nd of loneliness and we'veBeen through so many thangsI love my man with all honestyBut I know he's cheatin' on meI look him in his eyes but all heTells me is lies to keep me nearI'll never leave him down thoughI might mess around it's only'Cause I need some affection oh

[Chorus]So I creep yeahJust keep it on the down lowSaid nobody is supposed 2 knowSo I creep yeah'Cause he doesn't knowWhat I do and no attentionGoes to show oh so I creep

The 23rd of lonelinessAnd we don't talkLike we used 2 doNow it seems prettyStrange but I'm notBuggin' 'cause I still feelThe same yeah yeahI'll keep giving lovingTill the day he pushes me awayNever go astrayIf he knew theThings I did he couldn'tHandle itAnd I choose 2 keep himProtected oh

[Chorus]

I think about us baby all the timeBut you know that I'm gonna need some attentionYeah, yeah can you dig itLove you forever baby soul & mindAnd you gotta know ifYou don't give it I'maGet mine

Oh I oh I oh I yeahOh I oh I oh I babyOh I oh I oh I yeahYeah yeah yeah

[Chorus]

I creep around because I need attentionDon't mess around with my affectionOh I oh I oh I yeah

It is quite a shock to the system. Ms. Lavonia Kennedy was a sweet dear person. She was one of those gentle souls that we are blessed to know who walk the earth. Sweet endurance...she battled both cancer and then an aneurism with dignity and grace. What a loss....

Thank god that there are such good people in the world. It is heartwrenching when they are taken out of the world though. My mother's coworker, Ms. Lavonia died today. She was so sweet to me. Such a wonderful lady. God bless Patra.....

I just realized something. My father's mother had to quit teaching. I never realized that....it never registered in my consciousness. Only after listening to Cornel West speak about MLK and then reading that MLK's mother stopped teaching after she married and had children did it come to me. My grandmother married and proceeded to have thirteen children. School systems didn't allow married teachers to teach. Interesting. My other grandmother divorced..so I guess that was ok. LOL. Who knows. What messed up rules....

When I walked through the doors I sensed his presenceAnd I knew this was a place where love aboundsFor this is a temple the God we love abides hereAnd we are standing in his presenceOn holy ground

We are standing on holy groundAnd I know there are angels all aroundLet us praise, praise God now, praise him anyhowFor we are standing in his sweet presenceOn holy ground

In his presence I know there is joy beyond all measureAnd at his feet sweet peace of mind can still be foundFor when we have a need he is still the answerReach out and claim it for we are standingOn holy ground

We are standing on holy groundAnd I know there are angels all aroundLet us praise, praise God now, praise him anyhowFor we are standing in his sweet presenceOn holy ground

I'm scaredSo afraid to show I careWill he think me weakIf I tremble when I speakOooh - what ifThere's another one he's thinking ofMaybe he's in loveI'd feel like a foolLife can be so cruelI don't know what to do

I've been thereWith my heart out in my handBut what you must understandYou can't let the chanceTo love him pass you by

Should I

Tell himTell him that the sun and moonRise in his eyesReach out to himAnd whisperTender words so soft and sweetHold him close to feel his heart beatLove will be the gift you give yourself

Touch himWith the gentleness you feel insideYour love can't be deniedThe truth will set you freeYou'll have what's meant to beAll in time you'll see

I love himOf that much I can be sureI don't think I could endureIf I let him walk awayWhen I have so much to say

I'll

Love is light that surely glowsIn the hearts of those who knowIt's a steady flame that growsFeed the fire with all the passion you can showTonight love will assume its placeThis memory time cannot eraseYour faith will lead love where it has to go

Twenty-eight years ago, in a highly disputed trial, an all-White jury convicted former Black Panther Assata Shakur of the murder of a New Jersey state trooper. In 1979, while serving a life sentence, she escapedfrom prison and eventually resurfaced in Cuba, where she was granted asylum and has lived ever since. But the U.S. government has continued to pursue Shakur, regularly increasing the bounty on her head andclassifying her as a “domestic terrorist.” Last May the Justice Department issued an unprecedented $1,000,000 bounty for the return of Assata Shakur, 58, who continues to maintain her innocence. Kathleen Cleaver, a law professor and former communications secretary for the Black Panther Party, talks about why we all need to know about Assata, and why she must live free: I was startled when I heard about the $1,000,000 bounty for the capture of Assata Shakur. What triggered this renewed interest in Assata? Why spend so much time and money to hunt her down when Osama bin Laden, head of an international terrorist enterprise, remains at large?

It turns out that FBI and New Jersey police officials revealed the million-dollar bounty on May 2 of this year, the thirty-second anniversary of the New Jersey Turnpike shootout in which State Trooper Werner Foerster and Black Panther Zayd Shakur were killed. Sundiata Acoli and Assata Shakur were arrested for the murders. Assata was severely wounded,shot while her hands were up. She has always insisted—and expert defense testimony from the trial bears it out—that she did not kill anyone. But in separate trials, Sundiata and Assata were convicted of murdering Werner Foerster. In 1979, while incarcerated for life in the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, Assata escaped. As the FBI circulated the wanted poster that called for her arrest, all over the New York–New Jersey area her supporters hung posters proclaiming “Assata Shakur is welcome here.” Cuba gave her political asylum several years later on the grounds that she had been subjected to political persecution and had never received a fair trial.

Apparently the million-dollar bounty has already been covertly offered by police to a relative of Assata’s for assistance in kidnapping her from Cuba. This bounty evokes the memory of those vicious slave catchers who were paid to capture and torment our runaway slave ancestors and return them dead or alive. This extraordinary bounty on the head of a Black woman inevitably brings to mind Harriet Tubman, that UndergroundRailroad “conductor” whose ability to organize escapes earned a $12,000 price on her head from the state of Maryland. Outraged slave owners added $40,000.

Many freedom fighters I knew and loved, including Eldridge Cleaver, to whom I was married, were arrested and imprisoned because of our membership in the Black Panther Party. Our organization started in response to the gruesome war in Vietnam and the racism and injustice here thatdrenched our lives in violence. Demonstrations, riots, rampant police brutality and political assassinations marked those years when I witnessed thousands upon thousands of people arrested and hundreds killed. Many turned into fugitives to save their own lives, including my husband, whom I joined in Algeria in May 1969. That was around the same time that Assata, then a bright New York City college student named Joanne Chesimard, joined the Black Panthers.

WE had a concrete ten-point program to end racial inequality. The Black Panther Party demanded the power to determine our own destiny. We insisted on decent housing, appropriate education, economic justice, an immediate end to police brutality, and other rights our people had been fighting for since slavery ended. We were not patient, we were notpassive, and we were willing to defend our principles with our lives. Since Panthers couldn’t be bought off or scared off, the government made the decision to kill us off.

Back in 1968 we became prime targets for law enforcement and intelligence agencies, particularly after J. Edgar Hoover, then FBI director, labeled us the “greatest threat to the internal security” of the United States. We were young and passionately determined to secure the freedom of our people in our lifetime. Joining the Black Panther Party at the height of this assault, Assata saw our leaders imprisoned and killed. Both Black Panther Party founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale faced the death penalty, and Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, leaders of the Illinois chapter, were murdered in a predawn raid while they slept. Assata reported that she was beaten, tortured and denied medical attention after her arrest, then continually threatened by police and prison guards while in their custody. There was no question that she felt her life was in danger.

Under international law and Cuban law, Shakur is entitled to the protection and freedom of asylum. There are no legal grounds for her return to the United States because no treaty of extradition exists between the United States and Cuba, which has been subjected to a U.S. blockade and trade embargo for more than 40 years.

Despite this, the U.S. government and the state of New Jersey have repeatedly called for her capture. The meaning of this new million-dollar bounty is to encourage and finance what amounts to a kidnapping, one that could end with Assata’s death. Our memories are haunted by stories of fiercely independent Blacks whose dignity and pursuit of freedom wonthe hatred of enraged White men who sometimes murdered them, riding publicly in lynch mobs that no law restrained.

The government has elevated this barbaric conduct to the diplomatic level as a way to reimprison one Black woman who dared fight for our freedom. The FBI and the state of New Jersey must be forced to obey the law. We cannot allow them to engage in lynch-mob diplomacy.

WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

For more information about Assata Shakur’s case and what you can do to support her, please visit assatashakur.org or handsoffassata.net, or call the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement at (718) 254-8800

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

A voice from the dark called out,"The poets must give usimagination of peace, to oust the intense, familiarimagination of disaster. Peace, not onlythe absence of war."

But peace, like a poem,is not there ahead of itself,can't be imagined before it is made,can't be known exceptin the words of its making,grammar of justice,syntax of mutual aid.

A feeling towards it,dimly sensing a rhythm, is all we haveuntil we begin to utter its metaphors,learning them as we speak.

A line of peace might appearif we restructured the sentence our lives are making,revoked its reaffirmation of profit and power,questioned our needs, allowedlong pauses. . . .

A cadence of peace might balance its weighton that different fulcrum; peace, a presence,an energy field more intense than war,might pulse then,stanza by stanza into the world,each act of livingone of its words, each worda vibration of light--facetsof the forming crystal.

copyright 1987, from _Breathing the Waters_ and _What Could It Be_, Levertovcopyright 1982 from _Candles in Babylon_, LevertovNY: New Directions

Well I went down to the rich man's house and I took backwhat he stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanitywell I went down to the rich man's house and I took backwhat he stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanityNow he's under my feet, under my feet, under my feetAin't gonna let the system walk all over me!

Well I, went down to the Landlord's house and I took backwhat he stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanityWell I, went down to the landlord's house and I took backwhat he stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanityNow he's under my feet, under my feet, under my feetAin't gonna let the system walk all over me!

Well I, went down to the Welfare Office I took backwhat it stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanitywell I, went down to the welfare office I took backwhat it stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanityNow it's under my feet, under my feet, under my feetAin't gonna let the system walk all over me!

Well I, went down to the Governor's house and I took backwhat he stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanitywell I, went down to the governor's house and I took backwhat he stole from metook it backtook back my dignitytook it backtook back my humanityNow he's under my feet, under my feet, under my feetAin't gonna let the system walk all over me!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

As around the sun the earth knows she's revolvingAnd the rosebuds know to bloom in early MayJust as hate knows love's the cureYou can rest your mind assureThat I'll be loving you alwaysAs now can't reveal the mystery of tomorrowBut in passing will grow older every dayJust as all is born is newDo know what I say is trueThat I'll be loving you always

Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky---ALWAYSUntil the ocean covers every mountain high---ALWAYSUntil the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea---ALWAYSUntil we dream of life and life becomes a dream

Did you know that true love asks for nothingHer acceptance is the way we payDid you know that life has given love a guaranteeTo last through forever and another dayJust as time knew to move on since the beginningAnd the seasons know exactly when to changeJust as kindness knows no shameKnow through all your joy and painThat I'll be loving you alwaysAs today I know I'm living but tomorrowCould make me the past but that I mustn't fearFor I'll know deep in my mindThe love of me I've left behind Cause I'll be loving you always

Until the day is night and night becomes the day---ALWAYSUntil the trees and seas just up and fly away---ALWAYSUntil the day that 8x8x8 is 4---ALWAYSUntil the day that is the day that are no moreDid you know that you're loved by somebody?Until the day the earth starts turning right to left---ALWAYSUntil the earth just for the sun denies itselfI'll be loving you foreverUntil dear Mother Nature says her work is through---ALWAYSUntil the day that you are me and I am you---AL~~~~~~WA~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~AA~~~~Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky~~~~~AA~~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~YS~~ALWAYS

We all know sometimes lifes hates and troublesCan make you wish you were born in another time and spaceBut you can bet you life times that and twice its doubleThat God knew exactly where he wanted you to be placedso make sure when you say you're in it but not of itYou're not helping to make this earth a place sometimes called HellChange your words into truths and then change that truth into loveAnd maybe our children's grandchildrenAnd their great-great grandchildren will tellI'll be loving you

Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky--Loving youUntil the ocean covers every mountain high--Loving youUntil the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea--Loving youUntil we dream of life and life becomes a dream--Be loving youUntil the day is night and night becomes the day--Loving youUntil the trees and seas up, up and fly away--Loving youUntil the day that 8x8x8x8 is 4--Loving youUntil the day that is the day that are no more--Loving youUntil the day the earth starts turning right to left--Be loving youUntil the earth just for the sun denies itself--Loving youUntil dear Mother Nature says her work is through--Loving youUntil the day that you are me and I am you--Now ain't that loving youUntil the rainbow burns the stars out in the skyAin't that loving youUntil the ocean covers every mountain highAnd I've got to say alwaysUntil the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea~~AL~~~WA~~~AYSUntil we dream of life and life becomes a dream-Um AL~~WA~~AYSUntil the day is night and night becomes the day-AL~~~~WA~~AYSUntil the trees and seas just up and fly away-AL~~WA~~~AA~~~~~Until the day that 8x8x8 is 4~~~~~AA~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~AAUntil the day that is the day that are no more-AA~~~~AA~~AA~~~AYSUntil the day the earth starts turning right to left-AL~~~WA~~~A~~~AAUntil the earth just for the sun denies itself-~~AA~~~AA~~~AA~~~AYSUntil dear Mother Nature says her work is through-AL~~~WAYSUntil the day that you are me and I am youUntil the rainbow burns the stars out in the skyUntil the ocean covers every mountain highUntil the dolphin flies and parrots live at seaUntil we dream of life and life becomes a dreamUntil the day is night and night becomes the dayUntil the trees and seas just up and fly awayUntil the day that 8x8x8 is 4Until the day that is the day that are no moreUntil the day the earth starts turning right to leftUntil the earth just for the sun denies itselfUntil dear Mother Nature says her work is throughUntil the day that you are me and I am you

I still haven't recovered from the election. I have to pinch myself everyday and I seem to be in some sort of euphoria--I barely pay attention to the news...and it all seems to have no relevance.... Protests in Greece? It's ok, Barack is the president now....desperation in Haiti? It's going to be alright, Barack is our president now.... Really? What bliss?!

Could Governor Blagojevich be the victim of a vendetta? He has long been a supporter of progressive causes. Might this criminal taint be payback for his support of the Chicago workers who have taken over their factory? Corruption runs in both ways....

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Yesterday, Friday December 5th, the workers of RepublicWindows and Doors occupied their factory, which was dueto close at 10:00 AM. The workers are fighting for payfor their lost vacation days and for the 75 days noticethat they are guaranteed under Illinois law. This isthe first time in many years workers have taken thebold, militant strategy of occupying their place ofwork to demand justice. The plan to occupy the plantuntil the hear the results of the next round ofnegotiations Monday afternoon. They need to know theyhave our support!

A prayer vigil has been planned for 12:00 Noon,Saturday December 6th. Please attend. But we shouldorganize a constant presence of community memberspicketing outside the factory! Bring food and coffeefor the workers. It is our presence and the press thatis the workers best defense against the police raidingthe factory.

These workers are fighting for all of us!!! As theeconomic crisis deepens we need to launch a workingclass fight back. These workers are the starting pointand deserve our full support.

Go to:

Republic Windows & Doors 1333 N. Hickory

On Goose Island, near the intersection of Division &Clybourn

(Message written by Jerry Mead-Lucero,www.laborexpress.org)

FROM UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO AND MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA:

UE Members in Chicago Occupy Plant in Struggle forJustice December 6, 2008

Chicago, IL

National television news networks CNN News and Fox are running reports on the following story involving the UE members in Chicago...

Members of UE Local 1110 who work at Republic Windowsand Doors in Chicago have been forced to resort todrastic action to try to force their employer to meetits obligations to the workforce.

Several national news media outlets have covered thisfast-developing story; several links are providedbelow. More news to follow as it becomes available...

Workers who got three days' notice their factory wasshutting its doors voted to occupy the building and saythey won't go home without assurances they'll getseverance and vacation pay they say they are owed.

In the second day of a sit-in on the factory floorSaturday, about 200 union workers occupied the buildingin shifts while union leaders outside criticized a WallStreet bailout they say is leaving laborers behind.

About 50 workers sat on pallets and chairs inside theRepublic Windows and Doors plant. Leah Fried, anorganizer with the United Electrical Workers, said theChicago-based vinyl window manufacturer failed to give60 days' notice required by law before shutting down.

During the takeover, workers have been shoveling snowand cleaning the building, Fried said.

"We're doing something we haven't since the 1930s, sowe're trying to make it work," Fried said.

Organizers of the action said the company can't payemployees because its creditor, Charlotte, N.C.-basedBank of America, won't let them. Crain's ChicagoBusiness reported that Republic Windows' monthly saleshad fallen to $2.9 million from $4 million during thepast month. In a memo to the union, obtained by thebusiness journal, Republic CEO Rich Gillman said thecompany had "no choice but to shut our doors."

"Across cultures, religions, union and nonunion, we allsay this bailout was a shame," said Richard Berg,president of Teamsters Local 743. "If this bailoutshould go to anything, it should go to the workers ofthis country."

Larry Spivack, regional director for AmericanFederation of State, County and Municipal Employees,Council 31, said the peaceful action will add toChicago's rich history in the labor movement, whichincludes the 1886 Haymarket affair, when Chicagolaborers and anarchists gathering in a square on thecity's west side drew national attention when anunidentified person threw a bomb at police.

"The history of workers is built on issues like thishere today," Spivack said.

Representatives of Republic Windows did not immediatelyrespond Saturday to calls and e-mails seeking comment.

Police spokeswoman Laura Kubiak said authorities wereaware of the situation and officers were patrolling thearea.

Workers were angered when company officials didn't showup for a meeting Friday that had been arranged by U.S.Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, Fried said.Union officials said another meeting with the companyis scheduled for Monday afternoon.

"We're going to stay here until we win justice," saidBlanca Funes, 55, of Chicago, after occupying thebuilding for several hours. Speaking in Spanish, Funessaid she fears losing her home without the wages shefeels she's owed. A 13-year employee of Republic, sheestimated her family can make do for three monthswithout her paycheck. Most of the factory's workers areHispanic.

Since the day the late Gene Siskel asked me, “What do you know for sure?” and I got all flustered and started stuttering and couldn’t come up with an answer, I’ve never stopped asking myself that question. I’ve never stopped asking myself that question. And every month I must find yet another answer. I looked back and came up with my all-time top 20.

1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. (This is my creed.)

2. You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.

3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.

4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.

5. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.

6. What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you belive.

7. If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)

8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.

9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in the other direction.

10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.

11. Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn’t lie.

12. Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.13. Let passion drive your profession.

14. Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. Then every paycheck will be a bonus.

15. Love doesn’t hurt. It feels really good.

16. Every day brings a chance to start over.

17. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.

18. Doubt means don’t. Don’t move. Don’t answer. Don’t rush forward.

19. When you don’t know what to do, get still. The answer will come.

20. “Trouble don’t last always.” (A line from a Negro spiritual, which calls to mind another favorite: This, too, shall pass.)

I find truth and wisdom in these words from Oprah’s column. Here are a few others that I try to remember and live by:

- Treat others the way you would like to be treated. (Do unto others....)

- Treat everyone with respect, until they prove they don’t deserve it.

- Be gentle (with others).

When I was working at Dallastown, I reminded myself (and my colleagues when they felt stressed) of the following:

WASHINGTON—At an awards ceremony held yesterday for the 2008 Profiles in Courage Essay Contest, 17-year-old Hurricane Katrina survivor Audrey Tempelsman collected yet another first-place trophy, her sixth in as many months. "It was so great to fly out to D.C. again and accept my award," said the displaced New Orleans resident, whose recent essays "Reflections In The Flood," "Flooded With Memories," and "Katrina Song" have all won her first-prize honors. "Hopefully I can come back soon. Maybe next week, if things work out." Tempelsman is expected to return tomorrow to her family's FEMA-issued trailer, where her latest trophy will once again be pawned in order to help pay the bills.

I noticed something about myself today. I treat things that others would treat like status symbols like crayons in a crayola box. Leather coat? Sleep in it? Sure...Wallow around in it? Yes...electronica...what is that for?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

I was very estatic to see you arrive at Purdue. I thought it was a great change for the Purdue Community,one which would ignite the process of turning Purdue into a progressive entity--and begin a series of correctives to problems that have festered at Purdue for a very long time. As you are quite well aware, racism--and particularly racism towards African Americans is prevalent in this community. There is a need for a cleansing of attitudes at Purdue. Rooted in the culture and environment of Indiana, especially in the vicinity of Purdue, there is a deep hatred and disdain for Blacks.

The original whites who populated this region of Indiana were poor whites who came from the south looking for work. They resented Blacks for eliminating possible employment in the agricultural industry. They hated the institution of slavery for the same reason. It is this foundation that poisons the climate towards Blacks at Purdue and that gives Purdue such a negative reputation where race and racism is concerned. I would hope that you, as a woman of color, would take an active role in combating the intolerable forces of bigotry and racism that are at play in the Purdue Community. It must end if Purdue is to continue to thrive.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to your long and brilliant career as President of Purdue University.

There are some(actually there are many) who would like to reduce Jewish identity down to an idea of "choice of religion" and eliminate all ethnic and blood ties there within. Alas, this approach to Jewish identity, as I am just now thinking of it, is quite similar to the reality of what whiteness is. While some would like to have one think that you can point back to "whiteland" and find more and more "great white fathers," alas, whiteness is a concept that in its truthful existence allows for nothing more than a claim to legitimacy in the western culture that we live in. As more and more groups of people have moved into this "whiteness," this should become clearer, however the effort to obfuscate has only become more clever in its machinations. Think about this seriously and see how it affects the way you view the world.

Friday, November 14, 2008

I went asleep last nightTired from the fightI've been fighting for tomorrowAll my lifeYea I woke up this morningFeeling brand new'Cause the dreams that I've been dreamingHave finally came true

It's a new dayIt's a new dayIt's a new dayIt's a new dayIt's a new day

It's been a long time comingUp the mountain kept runnin'Souls of freedom kept hummin'Channeling Harriet Tubman

Kennedy, Lincoln, and KingWe gotta invest in that dreamIt feels like we're swimming upstreamIt feels like we're stuck inbetweenA rock and a hard place,We've been through the heartachesAnd lived through the darkest days

If you and I made it this far,Well then hey, we can make it all the wayAnd they said no we can'tAnd we said yes we canRemember it's you and me together

I woke up this morningFeeling alrightI've been fightin' for tomorrowAll my lifeYea, I woke up this morningFeeling brand newCause the dreams that I've been dreamingHave finally came true

It's a new day(it's a new day)It's a new day(it's a new day)It's a new dayIt's a new day!

It's been a long time waitin'Waiting for this momentBeen a long time prayingPraying for this moment

We hope for this momentAnd now that we own itFor life I will hold itAnd I ain't gonna let it go

It's for fathers, our brothers,Our friends who fought for freedomOur sisters, our mothers,Who died for us to be in this moment

Stop and cherish this momentStop and cherish this time

It's time for you and meFor us and weThat's you and me together

I woke up this morningFeeling brand newCause the dreams that I've been dreamingHave finally came trueYea, I woke up this morningFeeling alright

'Cause we weren't fighting for nothingAnd the soldiers weren't fightingFor nothingNo, Martin was dreaming for nothingAnd Lincoln didn't change it for nothingAnd children weren't crying for nothing

Thursday, November 13, 2008

I am currently reading Bliss Broyard's One Drop, about her discovery after her father's death that her father was Black. It is a magnificent book. If anyone ever was confused about why there is such disparity in the economic well-being of African American communities and white communities, here is a better break-down of the reason why than any I have ever seen. This is also one of the main reasons behind the huge mess that we as a nation are in economically. Bliss Broyard writes in One Drop that:

"The sociologist Dalton Conley has suggested that the achievement gap between whites and Blacks can be explained by differences in their net worth, which is largely a measure of their inherited monies. My parents, for example, by buying and selling properties in Connecticut and Martha's Vineyard, were able to increase an initial investment of $110,000 to about $2.4 million ocer a forty year time span, for a 2000 percent profit. Conversely, the home purchased by my cousin Jeanne and her husband,Frank, in the Seventh Ward in 1965 for $10,000 increased in value to about $80,000 over the same period of time,for a 700 percent return on their investment.

The discrepancy can be explained in part by the differences between the northern and southern economies, but it was also rooted in racism. All over the country, lenders frequently deemed Black neighborhoods as risky investments, which made it hard for African Americans to secure mortgages. Redlining, as the practice was called, was so widespread that whites had received 98 percent of the $120 billion dollars of federally financed home loans issued between 1934 and 1962....The neighborhoods where my parents had lived would never be similarly scapegoated by local planning policy. The substantial proceeds from their real estate investments will eventually be passed down to my brother and me, to be used, most likely, to pay for our children's college educations, further perpetuating my family's legacy of privilege."

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

My blog, JuliusSpeaks, is a reflection of me. I believe that I have a unique perspective to offer to the dialogue concerning race and African American culture taking place within the United States. In order to make the case for my blog, I must introduce myself. My name is Brandon Wallace. I am 27-years-old and Afro-American. I am also a writer and educator with a Master’s Degree in American Studies from Purdue University. I believe that my blog would be an excellent choice for covering the Black State of the Union because I believe that I would be able to provide unique, interesting, and informative questions and dialogue to your scheduled panelists.

A dialogue between myself and such figures as Dr. Cornel West, Danny Glover, Nikki Giovanni, or Magic Johnson, would be interesting to say the least. To Dr. West, I would pose a burning question related to one that has long sat in my soul—and which is actually the focus of my academic work. As an academic, I have theorized that within the patriarchal framework that is American society, the Afro-American has existed in and played the role of the bastard child-constantly relegated to the lowest rungs of every aspect of society. With the turn of recent events, my question to Dr. West would be: With the election of Barack Obama, does this mean that the Afro-American has finally been legitimized and does this signal an erosion of the white male power structure in American society? To Danny Glover, I would love to have a conversation about progressive struggle in the-so called Third World, the TransAfrica Forum, and the relationship between his acting career and his activism. Nikki Giovanni is one of my mentors and one of my spiritual guides as an Afro-American and as a writer. I would most definitely ask her questions about her poetry, her politics, and explore the nuances of her literature over the years as well as her impact on the Afro-American community and other communities. Magic Johnson and I could most definitely dialogue on HIV in the Afro-American community, his activism, and his life since his diagnosis.

I believe that my perspective as a young Afro-American, educated, queer born in the city of Chicago who has experienced living in the Deep South as well as urban environments, deeply conservative areas as well as politically progressive and open areas, and who has spent most of my very young contemplating matters of identity on the spectrums of race, class, gender, and sexuality makes me very well qualified to serve as a web journalist at your convention. I also feel that my unique perspective, one that is flavored by a vast exploration of literature since my early youth, an admiration of such figures as Alice Walker, Nina Simone, Angela Davis, and Barbra Streisand, will provide your audience with interesting and thoughtful questions that, perhaps, they had never thought to ponder before.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville, posted an important editorial on the center's Web site last week regarding the election of Barack Obama. Robert calls for what he describes as "theological realism" in assessing the outcome of the historic election. He notes that Obama is neither the Messiah nor the antichrist.

Working Moms Can Win a $10,000 Scholarship Build Muscle and Get Ripped without Steroids Build More Muscle and Endurance with a Natural Supplement And while I agree with Robert, I think we also need to say that the election of Barack Obama, and the particular circumstances of his election, offers a pivotal moment for America. Obama is, as Colin Powell described him, a "transformational character." As such I find myself in the grip of an audacious hope in relation to some very particular issues.

For instance, perhaps with this election we see the beginning of the end of the politics of smear. In the primaries and in the general election, opponents threw everything including the kitchen sink at Barack Obama. And some of the smear did have an effect. By the end of the election, however, voters seemed to be saying in overwhelming numbers that gutter politics is not going to work anymore.

If voters were to hold this line, refuse to be moved by attack ads and outright fabrications, stop rewarding politicians who practice this stuff, they will stop doing it. And our whole political process will be the better for it.

I am also hopeful that we are seeing the end of the abuse of religion as a political wedge. Obviously there remains a hard-core group of conservative Christians who can be counted on to turn out and vote Republican. My guess is President Bush's 28 percent approval rating is comprised mostly of this group.

But other Christians were peeled away from the Republican cause this time. Part of the reason for the defection was because McCain was not a compelling candidate for many believers. But something else happened as well. Something of an awakening occurred among many of the faithful. It's almost as if scales fell from their eyes and they saw that they were not really being represented by conservative politicians so much as they were being pandered to by them.

This awakening also revealed a host of other social concerns, issues other than abortion and gay marriage, which believers were beginning to embrace but that conservative politicians were not. This is not to say that these believers will stop being passionate about what concerns them, but they may be less passionate about giving their souls to a political party.

Most of all, I find myself having hope that we have finally made a breakthrough on the race issue. Certainly there were people who voted for Barack Obama because he is black. There were others who did not vote for him for the same reason. But there were many, many more who voted for him irrespective of the color of his skin.

Racism is a cancer eating away at the soul of our country. It has been part of our national experience since the founders chose not to deal with slavery in the U.S. Constitution. It almost bled us to death during the Civil War, and nearly ripped away the fabric of our national unity during the civil rights movement.

But now we have a chance to heal. Not because Obama will do something magical or miraculous, but because American voters did something transcendent. We transcended race and party and age and gender and elected an African American.

I know how that sounds -- that's what makes it audacious.

James Evans is pastor of Auburn First Baptist Church. He may be reached at faithmatters@mindspring.com.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Oh, Mr. Nader, in your bittersweet resentment of Barack Obama you have allowed your envy to dictate your action and called our first Black President-elect an "Uncle Tom", and allowed the enemy to call the kettle black.

I can understand that as a revolutionary you may simply see just another Democrat taking the throne of an American presidency. You may think that he is an establishment leader and thus the change he brings is nothing more than temporary reform.

You have chosen to focus on the tree instead of the forest so that you can continue to promote your own political agenda.

When southern Blacks forced integration, they did not build black-only diners and then open them up to the whites. They walked into already established whites- only resturants and took a place at the table. The only way to revolutionize the establishment was to become a part of it and then redefine it with new institutions both tangible and abstract. And even when they played by the consitutional rules, they were still killed, beaten and broken down.

You Mr. Nader may believe that your revolutionary stance and inclusive policy proposals allow you the right to critique this new Black president and his so- called "change" platform in the manner that you did. But you certainly never called any other president an "Uncle Tom." And quite frankly you sounded like the white boy who got invited to the house party and thought he was cool enough now to use the "N" word.

And like the white boy at the house party, you were sorely mistaken.

Your points were relevant when you questioned Obama's economic policies and voting record. However, when you decided to use a racial epithet to describe the type of man Obama might be should he not hold the corporate elite accountable, your ideas got lost in translation and you became a "racist. "

You gave fodder to FOXNews, a white supremacist news network, to use against our movement and highlight a division that may or may not truly exist. Honestly, you are from an older generation that sees race in terms quite differently then my own generation. My generation, my people, Hip Hop culture, gave rise to this Black president because we understand that you must free your mind first and the rest will follow.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

President-Elect Barack Obama: Opening a New Era and Ending the Age of Reagan,Obama Must Now Act

This historic significance of the majestic victory of Barack Obama is threefold.

First, Obama's brilliance, charisma, and organizational genius have ushered in a new era in American history and a new epoch in American politics. For the first time in the history of American civilization, a black man will occupy the White House and lead the nation. The shattering of this glass ceiling has a symbolic gravity difficult to measure—here and around the world. On one Election Day and one January morning, the self-image of America undergoes a grand transformation. In the eyes and hearts of young people of all colors, the sky is now the limit. And for millions of adult citizens and fellow human beings across the globe, some sense of sanity, dignity, and integrity have returned to the Oval Office. We now have an American president-elect of vision, courage, and maturity who also is black. Race matters in the story we tell about this special moment in history.

Second, Obama's glorious victory brings to a close the age of Reagan, the era of conservatism, and the epoch of the southern strategy. The economics of greed, the culture of indifference to the poor, and the politics of fear have run their course. The war in Iraq, Katrina, and the Wall Street collapse were the three nails in the coffin of the age of Reagan. For nearly 30 years, the elevating of deregulated markets, the glorifying of the lives of the rich and famous, and the trivializing of poor peoples' suffering have shaped the climate of opinion. And like the American Hamlet Blanche DuBois, in the white literary bluesman Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, the world of make-believe in which we lived was shattered by reality, history, and mortality. Truth and justice crushed to earth do, at some point, rise again. The positive role of government in the lives of citizens now has a new claim on our visions for the future. Democracy matters in the public sentiments we shape to forge new policies in the age of Obama.

Third, Obama's grand ascension to the White House will challenge him to translate symbol into substance. He is now an American hero whose name will forever be sketched in the pantheon of American achievement—a global memory. Yet at the moment, Obama is a concrete symbol whose substantial use of power as president is highly anticipated. What kind of team will he assemble? Which advisers on domestic and foreign policies will he choose? Which issues will have a priority? Will he become a great statesman like Abraham Lincoln, a masterful politician like Bill Clinton, or a pragmatic experimentalist like FDR? The crucial answers to these questions depend not only on President Barack Obama's decisions but also on who we are and what we do. As he rightly noted in his monumental campaign, change comes from the bottom up, not the top down. Our hopes are on a tightrope, and America hangs in the balance—and we either hang together, or we hang separately.

November 5th…what a day… a new day….finally Dr. King’s words ring true that one day we will live in a nation where people “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” After 2 stolen elections, this time, in this election over 57 million Americans made their voices heard. I am so proud of our country today…miraculously overnight we have regained the respect of the world. From England to Africa, people are celebrating Barack Obama’s victory…proof that he is the first truly global President. Last night, Americans took this wonderful country back from the party and the leaders that have led us astray over the past eight years. So I thank each and every one of you for standing in line for hours to vote. Americans have regained their optimism and renewed their sense of hope ...and now we all look to a brighter tomorrow. Unlike most of the public, the pundits and the politicians, President-elect Barack Obama rejected the idea of an America comprised of blue states versus red states…and last night he proved to each and every one of us that we truly are the United States of America.

Yesterday was for KatrinaYesterday was for the victims of George Bush's tortureYesterday was for the students and warriors who were beaten in Selma and died because they loved usYesterday was for Fannie Lou Hamer.Yesterday was for the Triangle Shirtwaist factory workers who jumped to their deaths at the behest of capitalism.Yesterday was for my forefathers who constantly heard "no" "nevermind" and "stay back."Yesterday was for the cotton plowed and the shanty shacks and the Hoovervilles and tenements.Yesterday was for the children who ate lead and fell down through iron shafts to their deaths while ten thousand people crowded for shelter in one building in utter poverty. Yesterday was for those who couldn't read and struggled and died to make sure their children could. Yesterday was for the promise and vision that runs through our blood and that has now blossomed into a beautiful flower. Sunlight and peace and joy and enthusiasm for life forever may rain down on us living striving constantly moving and working for a better tomorrow.

I think this is great analysis. Alas, I don't think it should be passed up lightly that two of the three states named, North Carolina and Virginia, historically have been known for their large and sometimes distinguished mulatto populations--from the antebellum period onward. There is something to think about the coalitions that put President Obama in the White House. This does raise new questions...my old theoretical premises on race was that the Afro-American population ( Blacks descended from American slaves--but then also Blacks from other heritages as well are gathered in that equation) are the bastard children of the white male power structure--and have been perpetually been seated at the end of the table. Does Obama's win mean that the White Male Power structure has crumbled? Has the bastard child--as in King Lear-overthrown so called legitimate power and established a new order? These are questions I think are grave and should seriously be pondered.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Our country has been stripped ethically by psychopaths, and stripped materially by robber barons. And it's still going on. We have to help Obama. We've empowered him, and he has empowered us...yet, it could all vanish in a flash if we don't maintain our power. That takes action.

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

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About Me

I am 28 years old, having completed my Master's degree in American Studies at Purdue University in 2005. A native of Chicago, I have lived in Indiana and Alabama. I am an activist, have a life-long pursuit of knowledge,and am a writer who looks forward to being published someday.